Vacuum cleaners



July 16, 1963 D. H. HUNT VACUUM CLEANERS Filed June 8, 1959 llllll INVENTOR. DfiV/D H. Hu/v T.

United States Patent 6 3,097,673 VACUUM CLEANERS David H. Hunt, Simsbury, Conn., assignor to The Spencer Turbine Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed June 8, 1959, Ser. No. 818,693 3 Claims. (Cl. 141-272) This invention relates to vacuum cleaners, and more particularly to vacuum cleaners of the stationary type having a dust chamber and a detachable dust-collecting receptacle, or container, mounted underneath said dust chamber to receive the dust and dirt therefrom.

It is an object of this invention to provide simple and improved means for lifting the dust container into position relatively to the dust chamber and retaining it in such position.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be more clearly understood from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view, partly in section, of the bottom portion of a vacuum cleaner embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof with a portion of the housing in section.

FIG. 3 is a similar view illustrating the operation of my invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view on line 44 of FIG. 1.

As illustrated in the drawing, the numeral 5 denotes the housing of a conventional, stationary-type, vacuum cleaner. Said housing is formed to provide a dust chamber 6 therein having a bottom outlet 7 defined by an annular wall 8 which is provided \m'th a suitable, resilient, sealing gasket 9 forming a seat around its free edge.

A container 10 is adapted to be mounted below the said outlet 7 and coaxially thereof to receive the dust and dirt that is collected in the dust chamber 6. Said container is preferably cylindrical in shape and has an open top surrounded by a flange 11 that abuts the gasket 9 and forms a tight seal therewith. The base portion 5-a of said housing 5- is cut away, as at 12, and the opposite side portions 1'313 thereof extend forwardly in parallel relation so as to provide a support for the vacuum cleaner and an opening at the front of the housing to receive the dust container.

In order to facilitate attachment of the dust container to the dust chamber, the present invention provides a lifting mechanism including a lever 14 which is substantially semi-circular in shape and embraces the container 10 as best shown in FIG. 4. Said lever is pivotally mounted at 14-a to the base 5-a of the housing 5 by means of a suitable hinge 15 which is preferably welded to the inner rear side of the base so that the U-shaped portion of said lever opens forwardly relatively to the housing and receives the container as it is pushed along the floor into position to be lifted against the bottom of the dust chamber. A handle 15a is provided on said lever and projects forwardly of the container to facilitate the operation of the lever by either the hand or foot of the operator.

The said lever 14 is pulled upwardly and is yieldingly retained in its raised position by a pair of springs 1616 which are attached at their upper ends to anchor plates 17--17 secured to the opposite sides of the housing. The lower ends of said springs are secured to a pair of plates 1818 which are fastened to and extend laterally from the opposite sides of the lever 14.

A pair of vertical supporting plates 19-19 are secured to the opposite, inner sides of the U-shaped portion of said lever and are located at diametrically opposite sides of the container 10 in position to engage ice the underside of the flange 11 thereon. Said plates support said container and, under the influence of the springs 1616, force said flange tightly against the gasket 9 surrounding the opening in the bottom of the dust chamber.

In the operation of the improved device provided by the present invention, the container 10 may be removed from the vacuum cleaner by simply grasping the handle 15-a and forcing the lever 14 downwardly against the tension of the springs 1616 to thereby lower the said container to the floor on which the vacuum cleaner rests. The container may then be pulled forwardly away from the vacuum cleaner through the opening in the front of the base portion of the housing.

When an empty container is to be mounted upon the vacuum cleaner, the handle 15-a is forced downwardly, as above described, and the container is pushed along the floor through the opening in the base of the vacuum cleaner and into the U-shaped portion of said lever as far as it will go. The lever is so positioned relatively to the outlet opening 7 that when the container engages the intermediate portion of the lever adjacent the hinge 15, as shown in FIG. 4, said portion and the plates 1919 automatically position the container coaxially with respect to said opening 7 thus eliminating the necessity of aligning the container by hand. The handle 15-a is then released to permit the springs 1616 to raise the container into engageemnt with the gasket 9 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

I claim:

1. A vacuum cleaner including a housing having a portion containing a dust chamber with a first opening in the bottom thereof, a depending base portion supporting said housing, the lower edge of which is normally placed on a planar supporting surface substantially parallel to the plane of said opening, a container having a rim engageable with said bottom opening to thereby place said container in communication with said dust chamber through said opening, said base portion having a second opening therein extending laterally and sized to freely pass said container therethrough by sliding it along said supporting surface, the distance between said bottom opening and said supporting surface being greater than the depth of said container, whereby said container may be disengaged from said bottom opening and dropped to said supporting surface for lateral movement through said second opening, means for raising said container from said surface and securing it in operative position relative to said bottom opening, said means including abutment means on said container and a lever pivotally mounted within said base portion, said lever having legs extending on opposite sides of said container, abutment surfaces on the legs of said lever engageable with said abutment means on said container for raising and lowering said container and holding it in operative position and spring means giving said lever a constant upward bias to fix said container in operative position against said first bottom opening unless said lever is held downwardly by hand pressure.

2. A vacuum cleaner including a housing having a portion containing a dust chamber with a first opening in the bottom thereof, a depending base portion supporting said housing, the lower edge of which is normally placed on a planar supporting surface substantially parallel to the plane of said opening, a container having a rim engageable with said bottom opening to thereby place said container in communication with said dust chamber through said opening, said base portion having a second opening therein laterally extending and sized to freely pass said container therethrough by sliding it along said supporting surface, the distance between said bottom opening and said supporting surface being greater than the depth of said container, whereby said container may be disengaged from said bottom opening and dropped to said supporting surface for lateral movement through said second opening, means for raising said container from said surface and securing it in operative position relative to said bottom opening, said means including abutment means on said container and a lever pivotally mounted with in said base portion, said lever having legs extending on opposite sides of said container, means providing a stop for centering said container relative to said bottom opening when said container is slid through said second opening, abutment surfaces on the legs of said lever engageable with said abutment means on said container for raising and lowering said container and holding it in operative position, and spring means giving said lever a constant upward bias to fix said container in operative position against said first bottom opening unless said lever is held downwardly by hand pressure.

3. A vacuum cleaner including a housing having a portion containing a dust chamber with a first opening in the bottom thereof, a depending base portion supporting said housing, the lower edge of which is normally placed on a planar supporting surface substantially parallel to the plane of said opening, a container having an outwardly extending annular flange engageable with said bottom opening to thereby place said container in communication with said dust chamber through said opening, said base portion having a second opening therein extending laterally and sized to freely pass said container therethrough by sliding it along said supporting surface,

the distance between said bottom opening and said supporting surface being greater than the depth of said container, whereby said container may be disengaged from said bottom opening and dropped to said supporting surface for lateral movement through said second opening, means for raising said container from said surface andsecuring it in operative position relative to said bottom opening, said means including a substantially U-shaped lever pivotally mounted at its bight within said base portion, the bight of said U-shaped lever providing a stop for centering said container relative to said bottom opening when said container is slid through said second opening, abutment surfaces on the legs of said lever engageable with said outwardly extending annular flange for raising and lowering said container and holding it in operative position, and spring means for giving said U-shaped lever a constant bias upwardly to fix said container in operative position against said first bottom opening unless said lever is held downwardly by hand pressure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 382,023 Bauer May 1, 1888 991,664 Strasburger May 9, 1911 2,535,963 Sisemore Dec. 26, 1950 2,663,482 Gilberty Dec. 22, 1953 2,989,093 Stiebel June 20, 1961 

1. A VACUUM CLEANER INCLUDING A HOUSING HAVING A PORTION CONTAINING A DUST CHAMBER WITH A FIRST OPENING IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF, A DEPENDING BASE PORTION SUPPORTING SAID HOUSING, THE LOWER EDGE OF WHICH IN NORMALLY PLACED ON A PLANAR SUPPORTING SURFACE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID OPENING, A CONTAINER HAVING A RIM ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID BOTTOM OPENING TO THEREBY PLACE SAID CONTAINER IN COMMUNICTION WITH SAID DUST CHAMBER THROUGH SAID OPENING, SAID BASE PORTION HAVING A SECAND OEPNING THEREIN EXTENDING LATERALLY AND SIZED TO FREELY PASS SAID CONTAINER THERETHROUGH BY SLIDING IT ALONG SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID BOTTOM OPENING AND SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE BEING GREATER THAN THE DEPT OF SAID CINTAINER, WHEREBY SAID CONTAINER MAY BE DISENGAGED FROM SAID BOTTOM OPENING AND DROPED TO SAID SUPPORTING, SURFACE FOR LATERAL MOVEMENT THROUGH SAID SECOND OPENING, MEANS FOR RASING SAID CON- 